Billy Corgan Discusses Robots, US Government, and Universal Basic Income
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan shared his thoughts on America's future, including concerns about robots, the US government, cannabis, and universal basic income, in a recent interview.
Billy Corgan has a definitive answer for the question everybody has been asking.
Are aliens or robots more troubling for the future of humanity? And what does the U.S. government know?
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For the Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman, his deadpan, politically charged answer, which entailed weed and universal basic income, was robots as discussed during a Wednesday, May 20th interview on KROQ’s Klein Ally Show.
During the interview, in promotion of the band’s recently announced Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 30th anniversary tour, host Kevin Klein posed Corgan the question during the “epic questions” segment of the show.
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“Are you more concerns for our future because of aliens or robots?” he asked
Corgan’s thoughts on aliens were quick and dismissive.
“If the supposition is there are aliens . . . and there have been aliens, well, if they wanted to take us over, they would have done it a long time ago. Or they could take us over at any time.”
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Corgan added aliens don’t worry him, saying “That’s like worrying about an alien stomping on a bug.”
However, as for robots, “I think the havoc it’s going to wreak is on the working class,” Corgan said.
“I think you already see it,” he noted. “It won’t be long where those jobs that used to support the middle class, like people in my family — the people I grew up with — those jobs are just not going to be there.”
Corgan went deeper into his thoughts, raising questions about the federal government’s knowledge and intentions.
“I think the government has known for a while” that robotics are “going to take over a lot of the work force,” Corgan said, “which is why they started floating out universal basic income, and which is also why they passed pot legalization, because they just want people to stay home and play video games.”
Corgan encouraged listeners to check that quote in 30 years.
“Why would you start floating out paying people to stay home and not work,” he said. “The only reason you would float that out is because you know they’re going to need something to do and not be out in the streets rioting asking for jobs.”
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Corgan’s answer prompted Klein to concede, “Billy’s on to something, man.”
But Corgan wasn’t done.
“Honestly, the question you should ask,” Corgan posited, “is should we be more scared of AI or robotics? Because really AI is going to be the real havoc wreaker here.”
Spotify and UMG just announced a deal to create AI cover songs and remixes less than two years after a study found that musicians could lose almost a quarter of their income by 2028 because of AI.
Billy’s on to something, man.
Smashing Pumpkins announced the North American “The Rats in a Cage Tour,” celebrating the 30th anniversary of their double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness , this week. The band hits the road this fall, stopping in cities like Boston, Brooklyn, and Chicago.
Tickets went on sale for the tour Thursday, May 21st at 10:00 a.m. local time through Ticketmaster .
Fans can also look for deals or get tickets to sold-out shows via StubHub , where orders are 120% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.
In addition to the tour, they play Lollapalooza in July.
Corgan also revealed that the band had worked again with famed rock producer Butch Vig , who was behind the board during the making of Siamese Dream , for a song that will be released later this year.
The Smashing Pumpkins 2026 Tour Dates:
07/31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
09/30 – Columbus, OH @ The Schottenstein Center
10/02 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/03 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
10/04 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
10/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
10/07 – Hamilton, ON @ TD Coliseum
10/09 – Montréal, QC @ Centre Bell
10/11 – Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
10/13 – Saint Paul, MN @ Grand Casino Arena
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/16 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
10/17 – Jacksonville, FL @ VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
10/18 – Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena
10/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
10/22 – Nashville, TN @ The Truth
10/24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
10/25 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/27 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
10/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
10/30 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
11/01 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/03 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
11/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/06 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
11/08 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
11/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
11/12 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
11/14 – Huntington Beach, CA @ Darker Waves
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_Originally reported by [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/05/billy-corgan-worries-about-robots/)._
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